“The Japanese developer likely will pay 10 billion yen to 20 billion yen ($88 million to $176 million) for the building and roughly 40,000-sq.-meter property located 10 minutes or so from the White House by car. Sekisui House plans to remodel the 60-year-old brick structure into a shopping center while maintaining its stately facade, as well as build luxury condominiums on vacant land.”

Update Full press release:

“Roadside Development, a privately held commercial real estate firm and its joint venture partner NORTH AMERICA SEKISUI HOUSE, LLC (NASH), are pleased to announce the purchase of the iconic Fannie Mae Headquarters located at 3900 Wisconsin Avenue in Washington, DC. The acquisition includes a 228,000 square foot building and approximately 10 acres of land. (more…)

On a personal note, thank you God. This is the long vacant dry cleaners that was once planned to be a Pie Five Pizza Co. in between Cava Grill and Nando’s Peri Peri. And now fantastic news (for those who live/work nearby) from Jessica Sidman:

“District Taco is opening its eighth restaurant on Monday, October 17th, 2016. The restaurant is located at 4600 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Washington, D.C.

Regular business hours start at 11 am. District Taco expects a positive turnout so it is best to arrive prior to the opening time. The first 50 customers in line will receive a District Taco goodie bag of swag.

As a company that encourages philanthropic outreach, District Taco actively partners up with non-profits located near the restaurant sites. For the Tenleytown grand opening, District Taco is hosting a fundraiser for the Friendship Place Community Center. (more…)

“Local franchise owner Kristen Johnson will open the District of Columbia’s second Chick-fil-A restaurant on Aug. 11, bringing 65 new jobs and the chain’s signature menu of fresh, hand-crafted food and award-winning customer service to the Tenleytown neighborhood.

The new restaurant is located at 4505 Wisconsin Ave. NW, near the Tenleytown-AU Metro Red Line stop. Anyone 13 years and older is invited to stop by any time between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Aug. 10 to participate in a special “Surprise & Delight” grand opening celebration. The special grand opening event takes the place of the First 100 campout typically associated with a Chick-fil-A grand opening. Those interested in participating can find more details as the opening nears on the restaurant’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/chickfilatenleytown/.

Children’s Book Drive

Reflecting her desire to have a positive impact on the surrounding community, Johnson is inviting the community to celebrate the restaurant opening by participating in a children’s book drive. Johnson is collecting new and gently used children’s books from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 10 and Aug. 11. The donated books will be placed in a nearly 3-foot Book House to serve as a free library exchange and will be donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington. The Book House, built from reclaimed wood, is donated by the Chick-fil-A Foundation (http://www.chick-fil-afoundation.org/). Since 2014, Chick-fil-A has collected more than 21,500 books which were donated to 132 local organizations in 37 states and Washington, D.C.

“According to his site, Wescott “felt God call him to walk across America,” a lonely task that takes months. Though perhaps a human companion would be the obvious choice, Wescott instead chose to make his way with the aid of a companion animal. His first thought was a dog, but the dog he’d picked out sustained an injury at a dog park and Wescott was advised to look elsewhere. So he looked to the goat.”